A kidnapped crypto executive was reportedly released after paying a $1 million bitcoin ransom
Frank Chaparro Dec 29, 2017, 3:30 PM ET
pavel
LinkedIn
The CEO of the UK-registered cryptocurrency exchange Exmo Finance has been released from the custody of his kidnappers after a $1 million bitcoin ransom payment, according to a report from the Financial Times.
Pavel Lerner was reportedly kidnapped while leaving the company's Kiev, Ukraine, offices.
Pavel Lerner, the CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange Exmo Finance, has been released from the custody of kidnappers after the payment of a $1 million bitcoin ransom, according to the Financial Times.
Local media reports said Lerner, 40, was dragged into a black Mercedes-Benz by men in balaclavas while leaving the Kiev, Ukraine, offices of his company on Tuesday.
The FT reported Friday that Lerner was "released in a state of shock," according to Anton Gerashchenko, a Ukrainian adviser.
"We have operative information that he paid more than $1 million worth of bitcoins," Gerashchenko said.
The exchange business Lerner runs is registered in the UK and also has a presence in Spain, Russia, India, and Thailand, according to The Telegraph.